Coin-controlled game apparatus



5 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. L. PRATT. GOIN CONTROLLED GAME APPARATUS.

Patented May 25, 1897.

g., 7. MOM W c w.

m: mams Fzrsns co. wmtxmlo.4 WASHINGTON. v. c.

(No Model.)

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. L. PRATT.

COIN GONTROLLBD GAMB APPARATUS.

No. 583,081. Patented May 25,1897.

m: naam: Parras ce. uofoutuo. wmnxmon. uv L N0 Model.) 5 sheens-sheet s.

. A. L. PRATT.

G01N GONTROLLED GAME APPARATUS.

vNo. 583,081. Patented May 25,1897.

4(No Model.) 5 sheets-#mt 4.

A.l L. PRATT. G01N CON'I'ROLIJ'J)` GAMB APPARATUS.

No. 583,081. Patented May 25.1897.

la ll..

MAK/M @13 7111s atto/Lung w mi mams smug su.. moro-nwo.. wAsNmsrpN. n. c.

(No Model.) 5 sheetssheet 5. y A. L. PRATT.

COIN GONTROLLBD GAME APPARATUS.

Patented May 25,1897.-

UNITED *STATES PATENT EEICE.

ARTHUR L. PRATT, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN.

COIN-CONTROLLED GAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,081, dated May 25, 1897.

Application filed .Tune 27, 1896. Serial No. 597,125. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Bc it known that I, ARTHUR L. PRATT, a

.citizen of the United States, residing at Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Coin-Controlled Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

it comes to rest and serving as a means of closing the circuit for said color; mechanism for operatin g the wheel; coin-controlled mechanism for locking and releasing` the wheel; an electric circuit or circuits, a detached portion of which is arranged in the revoluble wheel, and electrically-operated means in said circuit adapted to deliver coins, checks, or equivalents to the player when the wheel chances to stop at the proper point to complete the circuit which the color chosen by the player is in.

vThe object of this invention is to construct a coin-controlled game apparatus having a wheel or movable part which is set in operation by the player, and when said wheel or movable part chances to come to rest at certain points its portion of the circuit will register with the fixed portion of the circuit in the case of the apparatus, thus completing the circuit., and operating mechanism adapted to deliver coins, checks, or equivalents to the player, and in the use of which apparatus the player is prevented from putting in coins or checks after the game has commenced; he is prevented from changing the pointer, thus altering his choice of color during a single play; the act of setting the pointer to indicate his choice of color closes the circuit in which said color is located, and he is prevented from accurately estimating where the wheel will stop on the succeeding plays by means of an arrangement which constantly varies this point. These features are objects to be considered singly as regards invention as well as collectively in a complete machine.

Other objects will appear in the description and claims given below in detail.

In the drawings forming a part of this speciication, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus with a portion of the front wall of the case broken away, showing the interior construction; Fig. 2, a rear elevation with the rear wall of the case removed; Fig. 3, a sectional elevation taken on Fig. 7 at a point between the right-hand wall of the case and the wheel, looking` from a point at the left; Fig. 4., a plan of portions of Fig. 3, the reference letters and numerals in said iigure serving to indicate corresponding parts; Fig. 5, an enlarged section on line 4E 4. in Fig. 3, looking from apoint above; Fig. 6, an enlarged section on line 5 5 in Fig. 3, looking from a point above. Fig. 7 is a vertical section ou Fig. 1, looking from a point at the left, the lower portion being taken on line 6 6 and the other portions taken on a line which would intercept the wheelshaft and the crank-shaft. This line 6 6 is also shown in Fig. 2, but in this igure the parts in section on said line must be considered looking from a point at the right. Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on 7 7 in Fig. 2, looking from a point above; and Fig. 9 is a diagrammatical view, not strictly correct in mechanical construction and arrangement compared with the other figures, but correct as an aid in tracing the circuits.

Referring to the di ierent parts of the drawings, 9 is a wheel revoluble on the fixed shaft 10, Figs. 1, 2, and 7. This wheel is provided on its front face with a series of alternatelyrecurring colors, which the space between the radial lines 15, Fig. 1, will serve to indicate. Arou ud this wheel, near its periphery, are a series ot' forwardly-projecting pins 16, Figs. 1 and 7, in said colors and extending through said wheel. In Fig. 2 is shown the rear ends of the pins. As herein constructed, four electric circuits are employed, one for each set of colors; but as many different sets of colors and circuits may be used in the apparatus as desired, according to the fancy or desired results to be effected in the game. A detached portion of the circuits is in the wheel 9, and the balance of said circuits is arranged in the case, the gures 17 pointing out the circuit-line for one set of the colors throughout the apparatus. To make this clear, in Fig. 2 all the V-form wires (marked 17 in this iigure) run from the pins of like colors distributed around the wheel, and they connect with the circle-wire, (also marked 17,)

ICO

and this circle-wire is connected with the ring 18 at the center of the wheel f) bythe wire which extends to t-he center ot' said wheel, (also marked 17, Figs. 1, 7, and 9.) Thus by following the line of wire 17 a single circuit can be traced for all the colors of one set. Dy keeping Fig. 9 in view during the further description the tracing of the circuits will be clearly understood.

Attached tothe wheel 9,near its center and insulated therefrom, are four metal rings 18. I have used the number 18 to point out only one of said rings, the rest of them being concentric with it, and 1G to point out only one of the pins ot a single color of one set, and 17 for the one circuit, as stated, and 19 for one of the armatnre-levers, the one belonging to said color, so as to better explain the operation in connection with one color of a set and the circuit belonging to said set to avoid confusion, and since the other three of these parts are identical this is deemed sufticient.

Connection of the detached portion of the circuits in the wheel 9 is made with the fixed portion of the circuits in the ease by means of metal fingers, as 20, Figs. 1, 7, and 9, which fingers are attached to an insulated block 21, said block being attached to a supportiug-bracket 22, attached to the wheelshaft 10.

The indicator 24, which is attached to the arc 23 over the wheel 9, serves as a circuitmaker when the wheel stops on certain colors an d points out what color said wheel stops on. It is held in engagement with the pins (as 1G) by a spring 25, which spring also forms a part of the circuit-lines.

On the `front wall of the case is a plate 27, bearing colors corresponding to the colors on the face of the wheel f), and fitting against this plate is a pointer 29 for the players use, Figs. 1 and 7, said pointer being set on color 28, which color corresponds with the color on thewheel in which the pin 16 is located. This pointer 29 is attached to a revoluble shaft 30, Figs. 3 and 7, which shaft extends through the wall 26 of the case and is provided at its inner end with an arm, the free end of which terminates in an insulated forked metal lin ger 32, which finger contacts with the metal terminals 33 ot the circuits, so that the player establishes a circuit forfthe color he chooses before commencing to play by the act of setting the pointer to point to said color, and in this instance, as sct in Figs. 1 and 3, the circuit which is established is 17-that is, it becomes so established by the wheel J coming to rest at the point shown in Fig. 1, with theindicator 24 contacting with the pin lt-for as soon as the play began the circuit-maker 34 and 6o', Figs. 2 and 9, was closed, which would make this circuit complete through battery 35, as will be explained farther on.

The construction, consisting of the plate 27, bearing colors, the pointer2f), the arm with forked finger, and the metal terminals 33 and constituting an electric switchboard and circuit-maker, forms no part of this invention, except in combination with other features, as 1 have protected it in a prior patent dated June 23, 1890, No. 562,658.

The upper broken ends of the circuit-Wires in Fig. 1 extend to the circuit-terminals 33 in Fig. 3, and the lower broken ends of the circuit-wires in Fig. 1 extend from said circuitterminals 33, as in Fig. 3, and thence down to the magnets 78, as in Fig. 2, while the upper broken ends of the circuit-wires in Fig. 3 extend to the lingers 20, as in Figs. 1 and 7.

The pointer 29 is provided with a series of open notches 3G, there being as many as there are sets of colors to choose from when playing the game. A spring -actuated pin 37, which passes through the wall 2G of the case, Figs. 1, 3, and 7, engages said notches and holds the pointer locked where it is set when said pin is in its normal or out position. Pushing in on the pin carries the body thereof out of the notch, bringing its small neck 38 over the notch, which neck being too small to fill said notch leaves the pointer i'ree to turn when desiring to set it on the chosen color. As soon as the pin 37 is released its spring throws it out and again locks the pointer.

Below the wheel-shaftis the crank-shaft 40. A bowed bar 3i) is attached to and operated by said crank-shaft. The upper end of this bowed bar 89 is near to and in such a relation to the inner end of the pin 37, Fig. 3, that when the operation of swinging down the eran k 41 begins said bowed bar passes behind the end of the lock-pin 37 and prevents it from being again pushed in to release the pointer 29 until that given operation of playing is completed, by which means the player cannot change his chosen color during that play. The crank 41 of the crank-shaft 40 is limited in its downward swing by a stop 42, projecting out from the front wall of the ca se, Figs. 1 and 7.

Back of the revoluble wheel 9 is a ratchetwheel 1.1,'Fig. 7, and also shown in dotted lilies in Fig. 2. Back of this is a belt-pulley 12 and a spring-pulley 13. This ratchet-wheel and two pulleys are all attached to a hub common to them all,which hub is revoluble on the Iixed wheel-shaft 10. The revoluble motion of these pulleys and ratchet-wheel is in one direction imparted to the wheel f) by the dog 14, which is attached to said wheel, engaging the ratchet-wheel 11, Figs. 2 and 7. A lever 43 is loosely mounted on the crankshaft 40, back of the wheel t), Figs. 2 and 7, the upper end of which'lever is attached at 44 to the end of a strap which winds on the pulley 12. Another lever 45, back of the lever 413, is rigidly attached to the crank-shaft 40. ln the upper end ofthe lever 45 is a sliding pin 40, the end 48 of which pin passes by the 1ever 43, Figs. 7 and 8, thus interlocking the levers and causing the rigid lever 45 when it swings back toward the left in Fig. 2 to carry the loose lever 48 with it. This act-ion takes IIO . ment during the backward swing of the le'- vers 43 and 45. This trip-lever 52 is pivoted at 53, Fig. 8, between its two ends to the head of the lever 45, and its forward end is pivotally attached to the sliding pin 56. The rear end of said trip-lever 52 extends at a lateral oblique angle away from the trip-bar 51, so that its shearing engagement with the tripbar tilts said trip-lever laterally and slides the pin 46 from its engagement with the loose lever 43, thus releasing said lever, which is then drawn to its up position again by the winding ,up of the strap on pulley 12. This winding up of the strap on the pulley 12, as stated, is caused by the revolution of the spring-pulley 13, which commences as soon as the sliding pin 46 is disengaged from the loose lever 43. This will appear clear from the description of the operation.

Projecting downward from the upper rear portion of the frame of the case, in the rear of the head of the lever 45 when in its up position, is an obliquely-angled plate 54, Figs.

2, 7, and S, which the end 4S of the sliding pin 46 comes in contact with when said lever 45 swings up to place, thus sliding the pin 46 in position to catch against the lever 43, ready for the next operation. This makes a positive and timely action of the sliding pin, so that the levers 43 and 45 will be certain to be interlocked when the crank 4l has swung up far enough to open the gate 85 at the mouth of the conveyer. Otherwise a player with a disposition to cheat in the game mighthold the crank at this point and trip the lever 73 by inserting another coin or check, change the pointer 29 to the color the wheel 9 came to rest on, and by a quick manipulation of the crank before the levers have interlocked could swing the crank down again and close the circuit at 34 66, causing an unwarranted delivery of coins or checks into the pocket 7 2 on a color which the player had not originally chosen, all of which might occur if less positive and prompt acting means-such as a spring uncertain or slow in its action-were depended upon to actuate said sliding pin.

It is desirable that the player may not be able to speculate upon the color the wheel 9 will come to rest on with any degree of accuracy. To prevent this, I pivot the end of the trip-bar 51 to the case-frame at 55, as stated, Fig. 2, and provide a revoluble toothed wheel 56, pivoted to the frame. This toothed wheel is provided on one side with laterallyprojecting lugs 57, which, as said wheel is revolved a tooth or so at a given play, catch under the free end of the catch-bar and raise said bar a little at a time for each play, so that the point at which the levers 43 and 45 trip or separate from each other cannot be estimated, and hence the point the wheel 9 will come to rest on cannot be told, for the spring begins to revolve said wheel immediately when the levers 43 and 45 are freed from each other, and since this spring 49 is not wound alike every time the wheel revolves will vary in length. W'ere this otherwise the player, after studying a few operations, would be iniiuenced in the choice of color upon which he played. To make this still more mysterious, the trip-bar 5l,`as soon as freed from one of the lugs 57, falls clear back to the place of beginning to rise and is again carried up by the next lug, and so on. This toothed wheel 56 is operated by the pivoted dog 5S, carried by the lever 45 during its operation, the upper end of said dog engaging with the teeth of said toothed wheel. The lower end of the dog is weighted to hold its upper end always up, and the dog is held from being tilted too far by its weight by resting on the rest 59, attached to the lever 45.

The crank 41 and lever 45 are swung up and held in their upright position by the spring-actuated lever 60, which is rigidly attached to the crank-shaft 40 and pendent therefrom, Figs. 1, 2, and 7. The spring, of an ordinary construction, is in case 6], and the lever 63 and bar 62 connect said lever 60 with the spring. When the crank 41 is swung down, its lever swings against a spring resistance which uncoilsthe same, and it is the recoiling of said spring which brings the lever and crank 41 back to place when said crank is released after the wheel 9 comes to Loose on the rear end of the crank-shaft 40 is an arm 64, Figs. 2 and 7, which constitutes a part of a circuit-maker. This arm is kept in place by the pin 65 in an elongated slot. On the free end of this arm is an insulated metal plate 34, with which the circuit-wire is connected. The severed end 66 of the continuation of this circuit-wire forms contact with the plate 34 to make the circuit during the operation, or at the proper time in the operation. As shown in Fig. 2, the circuit 17 at this point is broken, this being its normal condition as when no game is being played. The pivoted end of arm 64 is provided with lugs 67 and 68. A projection 69 is rigidly attached to the crank-shaft 40 in position to contact with the lug 68 when the crank 41 is up and thus tilts the arm 64 from contact with the circuit-terminal 66 of the circuitwire 17, thus breaking said circuit, and the said projection 69 contacts with the lug 67 when the crank is swung down, which raises the arm 64 and makes said circuit.

The coin or check conveyer 70, attached to the inside of the front wall 26 of the case, eX- tends from the mouth 71 at the top of said wall IOO IIO

to the delivery-openings into the pocket 72 on the outside of the case near the bottom, Figs. 1 and 2. There is another delivery-opening within the case in the upper portion of said conveyer at 72. A receiving-receptacle (not here shown) is preferably attached to the conveyer at this latter delivery-opening to receive the coins or checks which pass into the case, but this is not essential.

At 73 is a lock-lever pivoted to the ease, the hooked end of which projects down in front of the upper end of the bowed bar 39, thus preventing the crank 41 from being swung down until said lock-lever is tripped by the weight of a coin or check, as 74, Fig. 1, which a study of the operation will make clear. The hooked end of the lock-lever 7 3 being weighted overbalances the other end 75, the latter of which closes the lower side of a portion of the conveyer and projects in toward the front wall of the case, forming a tilting portion of the track over which the coins or cheeks roll, Figs. 1, 3, and 5, and if the coin be of the proper weight it tilts this end of the lock-lever down to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

At 76 is a tilting bridge pivoted in the conveyer and also forming a portion of the track over which the coins or checks roll. This tilting bridge is operated by the projection 77 011 the lower end of the bowed bar 39, Figs. 1 and G, which projection comes in contact with the lateral flange S9 of said bridge during each operation and tilts it to the dotted position shown in Fig. 1, thus forming an incline down which the coins or checks roll which are delivered through the opening 72. The coins or checks are delivered here when the conveyer is full up to the tilting bridge 79, Fig. 1, those on said bridge rolling down to this opening.

Three magnets 78, of any suitable make, are employed, having armaturelevers 19, two of the colors being connected by circuitwires to 011e magnet, the right-hand one in Fig. 2; but this is a matter of choice, as the number of magnets and colors and their arrangement are fixed in accordance with the plans of the game played on the principle illustrated. The armature -levers have a projection 79, Fig. 7, atthe upper end, which passes into the coin or check conveyer 70 whenever the lever is drawn toward its inagnet, thus holding back all coins or checks back of said projection, so as to allow those in front of it to pass out into the pocket 72. The coins or checks are prevented from passing out into the pocket until desired by the projection S0 of an arm 8l, which projection remains inserted into the conveyer, forward of the lowermost coin or check, until one of the armature-levers is operated, which lever then presses against a crank S2, pendent from a shaft S3, which action partially rotates said shaft and tilts the arm 8l away from said conveyer.

Aftera given play commences 11o more coins or checks can be inserted into the mouth 71 of the conveyer 70 until next play. This is prevented by a spring-actuated gate S5, consisting of a bar pivoted between its two ends, the upper end being bent over so as to pass into or over the mouth 71 of the conveyer 70.

It will be observed that the passage through the conveyer 70 has a shoulder at S7, Fig. 1, narrowing up the passage at this point where the coin or cheek 74 tilts the end 75 of the lock-lever 73, and there is an elbow-bridge beyond at 8S, continuing the track of this narrower passage beyond the shoulder 87, over which track and through which passage coins or checks too small and too light in weight to tilt the lock-lever 73 will pass out of the deli very-openin g into the case, and thus not in any way affect the operation of the game and apparatus.

Prior to commencing the gaine a n umher of coins or checks are put into the conveyer, so as to have someto deliver into the pocket "2 in case the first plays require it.

The operation is as follows, referring first to Fig. 1: The player first presses in on the lock-pin 37 and sets the pointer 29 on a color, we will say green, at 23. He then releases the lock-pin, letting it come back to place, thus locking the pointer, so that the player cannot change his color if he sees the wheel 9 is coming to rest on some other color. Now for the purposes of this explanation we will suppose the pin 16 in the chosen color, green, keeping in mind its circuit 17, and that the player wins. The player next inserts a coin 89 into the mouth 71 of the conveyer 70. \Vhen it reaches the tilting-bridge portion of the lever 73, (see coin 74,) its weight tilts the lever down to the dot-ted position, thus unlocking the bowed bar 39, at which time the operator swings down the crank 4l. The coin or check passes on down the right-hand conveyer, or would do so if the conveyer was not so full at this point occupied by coin Z, which will be explained. The swinging down of the crank Lil turns the bowed bar 39 as the rim of a wheel turns, bringing it of course back of inner end of the lock-pin 37, thus preventing it from being pushed in until next play. During this action the hook 8G, Figs. 3, 5, and 7, operates the gate 85, closing the mouth of the conveyer at 7l, as explained, and the projection 39 contacts with the iiange 89 of the tripbridge 76, Figs. `l and 6, and tilts it to the dotted position. This causes the check or coin Z to be delivered through the delivery-openin g within the case, as explained. Then the crank 4l was swung down, the lever 45 swung back, carrying with it the loose lever 43, owing to these levers being intel-locked by means of the sliding pin 4:8. During this action the lug 69 of the crank-shaft i0 came in contact with the lug G7 of the circuit-making bar (5,4., raising said bar and closing the circuit. The crank 41 is held down until thewheel stops. It has stopped on pin 1G of the color green. New with the circuit 17 closed at 34 GC, the

IOO

IIO

indicator contacting with the pin 16, the metal iinger 20, Figs. 1 and 7, contacting with the metal ring 18 of the Wheel 9, said ring being in the circuit 17, and the forked finger 32 of arm 31 contacting with the circuit-terminal 33, the circuit is complete through the battery 35, and includes in said circuit the armature-lever 19, belonging to the color chosen, and hence said lever is drawn toward its magnet, which inserts its projection 79 into the conveyer 70 and-holds back the coins or checks behind it, while the tilting outward of the arm S1 releases the coins or checks between it and the armature-lever, allowing them to roll into the pocket 72. Had the Wheel 9 stopped on any other color in this described play no circuit would have been compl-eted, since the indicator 24 and circuit-terminal 32 would not both have been connected with the circuit 17, belonging to the color green, at the same time, and hence no coins or checks would have been delivered into the pocket 72.

It perhaps should be repeated here for the sake of greater clearness that when the crank 41 was operated in the operation just described the tripping of the trip-lever 52 released the loose lever 43, when the spring 49, Fig. 7, caused its own pulley and pulley 12 to revolve, and rewinding the strap of lever 43 during the revolution of the wheel 9, and that as soon as the wheel 9 came to rest the operator released the crank 41, at which time the action of the spring` in the case 61 brought said crank and lever 45 back to their upright normal position; that during this action the sliding pin 46 was operated to again interlock the levers 43 and 45, and the projection 69 contacted with the lug 68 of the bar 64 and opened the circuit-maker again at 34 66.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A game apparatus, comprising a revoluble wheel, an electric circuit, a detached portion of which is arranged in said wheel in suoli a manner that when the wheel chances to stop at a certain point the detached portion of the circuit will contact with the balance of said circuit, thus completing the same, pulleys adapted to engage the wheel when revolving in one direction, a spring winding on one of said pulleys and a strap on the other, a crank and its shaft, a lever loose on said crank-shaft at one end, its other end being attached to the end of the strap, another lever rigidly attached at one end to said shaft, the other end bearing a sliding pin adapted to interlock the two levers, an obliquely-angled lever pivoted to the head of the rigid lever, one end being pivoted to said sliding pin, a trip-bar against which the obliquely-angled lever has a shearing contact during the backward swing of the interlocking levers to slide the pin and unlock said levers, said trip-bar being adapted to be changed in position,

means operated by, and during the backward swing of the levers in changing the position of said trip-bar, and means in the circuit adapted to deliver coins or the like when the wheel stops at a point to complete said circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. A game apparatus, comprising a revoluble wheel, an electric circuit, a detached portion of which is arranged in said wheel in such a manner that when the wheel chances to stop at a certain point the detached portion of the circuit will contact with the balance of said circuit thus completing the same, revolving pulleys adapted to engage the wheel when revolving in one direction, a spring winding on one pulley and a strap on the other, a crank and its shaft, a lever loose on said shaft at one end, its other end being attached to the end of said strap, another lever rigidly attached at one end to the crankshaft, the other end bearing a sliding pin Vadapted to interlock the two levers, an obliquely-angled lever pivoted to the head of the rigid lever, one end being pivoted to the sliding pin, a trip-bar against which the obliquely-angled lever has a shearing contact during the backward swing of the interlocking levers to slide the pin and unlock said levers, said trip-bar being adapted to be changed in position, means operated by and during the backward swing of said levers in changing the position of the trip-bar, an oblique-angled plate in position for the end of the sliding pin to contact with during the upward swing of t-he rigid lever to again interlock said levers, and means in the circuit adapted to deliver coins or the like when the Wheel stops at a point to complete said circuit, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a wheel bearing colors, a spring for revolving said wheel, a pulley and strap for winding said spring, a crankshaft, interlocking levers operated by said shaft, one of them being attached to the strap so as to unwind it, and means for unlocking the levers which varies in its time of action during each-play, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, of the crank-shaft, the bowed bar attached to said shaft and operated by it when the shaft revolves, a movable pointer having open notches, a plate bearing colors, and upon which plate the pointer is pivoted, and a sliding spring-actuated lock-pin extending through the plate and case in position to be prevented from being pushed inward to release the pointer by the position of the bowed bar after the operation commences, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR L. PRATT. W'itnesses:

LEVI F. COX, RUFUs JONES.

IOO 

